▪︎If there is a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it▪︎Toni Morrison 📍Co-RA for SCBWI Houston #kidlit#MGfantasy
Toussaint Louverture appears to be the only human being in modern history who was born a slave and then led the country in which he was enslaved; the only other human who appears to have done anything similar is Servius Tullius (ca. 578-535 BC).
Unlike Tullius, however, Toussaint actually staged the only successful slave revolt in human history in his country.
Today, that country is Haiti.
Louverture was born in Breda, Saint-Domingue, from ethnic Aja parents who were originally from modern-day Togo & Benin. Historical evidence suggests he was manumitted, or freed, at some point between 1772-1776; in 1791, at the Bois Caïman ceremony, a slave rebellion began, in which Louverture started out as a 50-year-old lieutenant, and then rose to the rank of self-appointed governor.
Louverture is a complex historical figure alongside Jean-Jacques Dessalines, the other widely acknowledged 'father of Haiti', and a Tweet in the context of an utterly (pardon me) f**king stupid political hot-button issue like "@JDVance Said Haitian Immigrants Eat Cats!" isn't really the place to explore all that.
But that's why we have paintings; this is Toussaint L'Ouverture by François Cauvin, 2009 (who appears to be on Instagram, link in last tweet)
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https://t.co/zFlqZs7uh8
To the writers sitting at their computers in the dead of night, I see you.
To the person wondering if their story is worth a damn, I see you.
To the person who’s this close to giving up, I see you.
And I want you to know that your story matters.
#WritingCommunity
On Juneteenth, we commemorate the anniversary of the delayed news of freedom reaching the enslaved people of Galveston, Texas. Let’s keep building on the work of the generations who came before us and making sure that the arc of the moral universe continues to bend towards justice.
So grateful that THE ONE AND ONLY FAMILY is one of the @amazonbooks editors' Best Books of 2024 So Far—and a Kids Top 20!
What incredible company to be in. @MrSchuReads, @choldenko, @KateDiCamillo, @kellyyanghk, and more! Check out the list: https://t.co/QogO1gSgUe
While browsing, we found this upcoming event to share.
Tonya Duncan Ellis @TonyaDEllis
Award-winning Author, Speaker and Diversity Advocate | THEY BUILT ME FOR FREEDOM @balzerandbray, 2024. The SOPHIE WASHINGTON series. Author visits:
Web: https://t.co/wst67asV86
Today we invested more than $6,000 in the second canal. Thank you, @aniealerteht for fundraising and making these critical purchases possible! #Haiti 🇭🇹
The Pura Belpré Honor winner by @jasminnemendez is coming out in paperback this June! Bring this stunning novel in verse into your class/library with this educator guide written by @nenagerman!
Download the guide for ANIANA DEL MAR JUMPS IN! https://t.co/maEI13hQZk
Nothing compares to celebrating Haitian Flag Day in Okap! ✊🏿🇭🇹❤️
Despite our challenges, we have so much to be proud of and so much to celebrate.
Viv Ayiti. ✊🏿🇭🇹❤️